CHAPTER X
GORDON MAKES HIS BID FOR FORTUNE
Gordon's new address was Buffalo Point, and, entering upon his duties,he felt like some Napoleon of finance about to embark upon amarket-breaking scheme in which the brilliancy of his manipulationswere to shine forth for the illumination of the pages of history, yetto be written.
That was how he felt. Those were the feelings of the moment. Laterthe burden of his responsibilities obscured the Napoleonic image, andraised up in his mind a thought as to the wisdom of butting one's headagainst a brick wall.
However, for the time at least the joy of responsibility wasconsiderable, and the greater joy of the companionship and trust of hisnew friends was something which inspired him to great efforts.
He studied the affairs of Buffalo Point with a care for detail and anassiduity which quickly became the surprise and delight of SilasMallinsbee. He went over every foot of the new township as laid out bya well-known firm of town planners from New York under Mallinsbee'sorders and under State supervision. He spent one entire day instudying the drawn plans, and, finally, having committed all thedetails to memory, he felt himself equipped to devote his wholeattention to the cajoling of the railroad which was the sum andsubstance of their combined efforts.
In the first week of his occupation he learned many things which hadbeen obscure. He took the story of Mallinsbee's operations andexamined it closely, discovering in the process that he possessed afaculty for clear reasoning altogether surprising. Furthermore, hediscovered that Mallinsbee, though possibly unpracticed in the work ofa big financial undertaking, yet possessed all, and more, of theshrewdness he had vaguely suspected.
One of the first efforts of the old man had been to secure the interestof many of the chief traders in the old township of Snake's Fall. Alsothat of the Bude and Sideley Coal Company. This had been done verysimply but effectively. After having marked off the town sites herequired for himself he had then offered, and sold, to pretty wellevery landowner in Snake's Fall a certain allotment of sites at amerely nominal fee. This, as the man himself declared in the course ofhis story, left Snake's Fall pretty well "not carin' a whoop which waythe old cat jumped." The "cat" in this instance being the railroad.
In this way direct and active opposition from the landholders ofSnake's Fall was minimized. As he explained, it was "graft," but hefelt that it was justifiable. This left him with the good will of thecitizens and free to act on broader lines. Then he began to pull allthe wires he could command with the coal people, who regarded him inthe friendliest spirit. However, there was difficulty here, though thedifficulty was not insurmountable. Their engineers were at workalready on the plans to be put into almost immediate operation for theconstruction of a private track to link up the coalfields with Snake'sFall. With them it was a question of time. They could not afforddelay, and the exploitation of the new township would mean delay forthem, although they admitted they would be relieved of a great expensefrom its proximity to their workings.
Mallinsbee, after stupendous efforts, and careful negotiations of theright kind, finally effected a compromise. He was given three months,of which already one week had elapsed, in which to obtain the definiteassurance that the railroad would accept Buffalo Point as the new city.In the meantime the coal people's construction would be held up, andthey would assist him with all the influence they could command inpersuading the railroad. This concession was not unaided byconsiderable graft, and the graft took the form of an agreement thatMallinsbee, out of his own pocket, would construct them a coal depotand yards in conjunction with the railroad, and hand them the titles ofthe land necessary for it.
He had just returned from the east, where he had been in consultationwith the Bude and Sideley people, and with whom he had ratified thisagreement, and, at the same time, the railroad had been induced to movein the matter. All along he had triumphed through the agency of graft,and the crowning point of his triumph had been demonstrated in thearrival at Snake's Fall of Mr. David Slosson.
Gordon's first impressions of all these things was that SilasMallinsbee had contrived with considerable skill, and that all was moreor less plain sailing. All that remained was to go on, with thegrafting hand thrust ready into the pocket for all eventualities, andhe found himself smiling at the thought of his father, and how surelyhis own theories of financial undertakings were working out.
That was his first impression. But it only lasted until he becameaware of those subtleties of human nature lying behind human effort andintention. He had reckoned without David Slosson, and, more than all,he had reckoned without Silas Mallinsbee himself.
During that first week of his new work David Slosson had called at theoffice twice. Once he had encountered only Gordon, and Hazel hadarrived during the visit. The second time he had had another interviewwith Silas Mallinsbee. It was immediately after that interview thatGordon gained some appreciation of the point where human psychologystepped into the arena of commercial competition.
The revelation came in Silas Mallinsbee's own statement of the resultof that interview.
"Gordon, my boy," he said. He had quickly abandoned the use ofGordon's formal address. "If that feller gets around here too frequentwith his blackmail, I'm going to kill him."
Then he thrust the patch over his left eye high up on to his forehead,and Gordon realized the angry light shining in the man's eyes. Withone eye covered his face had almost been expressionless. His evidentsurprise at this realization did not fail to attract the rancher'sattention.
His angry eyes softened to a smile of amusement.
"You're wonderin' 'bout that patch?" he went on. "Wal, when I get upagainst a feller who's brighter than I am in a deal, I don't figure totake chances. Ever played 'draw' with a one-eyed man? No? Wal, Idid--once. An' I ain't recovered from all he taught me yet. He taughtme that two eyes can just about give away double as much as one.Which, in financial dealings, is quite a piece. I guess that patch hassaved me quite a few dollars in its time. An' it makes me kind of soreto think I didn't meet that one-eyed 'sharp' earlier in life."
Gordon nodded as he folded up the plan of the town lying on his desk.
"You were using it on--Mr. David Slosson. Say, is he smart, or is hejust a--crook?"
Mallinsbee rose from his chair and moved cumbersomely over to thedoorway, and stood with his back turned, gazing out.
"I ain't fixed him that way--yet. He's sure a crook, anyway. That's acinch. 'Bout the other we'll know later. Say, I'm open to graftanybody on this thing--reasonably. It's part of the game. It's more.It's the game itself. But I don't submit to blackmail."
"There doesn't seem much difference," said Gordon, drawing someletter-paper towards him, and preparing to write.
The other remained where he was, moodily gazing out at the hills wherehis beloved ranch lay.
"You'd think not--but there is," Mallinsbee went on. "You graft anorganization when you're needin' something from them which they ain'tunder obligation to themselves to do. That's buying and selling, and,as things go, there ain't much kick coming. But when you've done that,and their favor's fixed right, it's blackmail if their servants comealong and refuse to carry out their work if you don't pay _their_price. This feller Slosson is a servant of the railroad. I'm ready tograft all they need. He's out for blackmail. That feller wants to bepaid something for nothing. He don't do a thing for us. He's got todo the work I'm paying the railroad for. See? Say, Gordon, boy,happen what likes I won't do it. That feller don't make one cent outof me. I'm on the buck, an' I don't care a curse."
Mallinsbee had turned about to deliver his irrevocable decision, and,as Gordon met the man's serious, obstinate expression, he realizedsomething of the psychology lying behind a big financial transaction.
If Slosson had been a man of reasonable grafting disposition, if he hadbeen a pleasant, amiable personality, if he had been a--man, if SilasMallinsbee had been used to affairs such as his father dealtin--well--.
But it was useless to speculate further. He only saw atroublous situation growing up for him to contend with.
"We've got to get him playing our game," he hazarded.
"That we'll never do. We're playing a straight bid for a win. Hecouldn't play a straight bid for anything."
"No." There was a great cordiality in Gordon's negative.
"It's us who've got to play him--someways."
"It's some proposition," mused Gordon.
"It surely is. There's ways." Mallinsbee laughed shortly. "MaybeI'll hand him over to Hazel." Then he gave another short laugh."Guess the ranch 'll interest him some--too."
Gordon's eyes lit apprehensively.
"I wouldn't do that," he said almost sharply.
Mallinsbee faced about.
"Why not? Hazel's a bright girl. She's as wise as any two men. Acrook don't worry her a thing."
"I guess all that's right enough. But--she's a girl, and--I don't seemto feel it's fair to her."
Mallinsbee remained silent for some moments. Gordon watched the broadback of the great, lolling figure in the doorway with an alarm he wouldnot have displayed had he been facing him. Then the sound ofclattering hoofs outside broke up the silence and the old man turned.
"Here she is," he cried, with a shadowy smile. "Guess she can speakfor herself."
Gordon could have cursed the luck that had brought the girl there atthat moment. He understood the depth of her devotion to her father andhis enterprise. Nothing could have been less opportune.
But, in a moment, his annoyance became lost in his delight at the soundof her cheery greeting.
"Hello, Daddy," he heard her call out.
Gordon remained where he was, waiting to feast his eyes upon the freshbeauty of this girl, who occupied so large a portion of his thoughts.
Her father stood aside to allow her to pass in, and Gordon had hisreward in her radiant smile.
"How's our junior partner?" she cried gayly.
"Feeling just about ready to turn the office into a twelve-foot ringand--hurt somebody," the junior partner retorted quickly.
Hazel pulled a long face.
"Is it that way?" she demanded, and turned back to her father. Thenshe added playfully: "What's ruffled the atmosphere of our--dovecote?"
The old man began to chuckle.
"Dovecote?" he said. "Guess armed fortress comes nearer describingthis lay out. Anyway the temper of its occupants," he added, histwinkling eyes on the determined features of his protege. "Guess I'llget goin' out to the ranch while you two scrap things out. Seems to meI need to get the cobwebs of David Slosson out of my head."
He took his departure without haste, but with the obvious intention ofavoiding any further discussion of David Slosson for the present. AndGordon was not sorry for his going. He felt that at all costs hissuggestion that Hazel should take her place in the ring with this manSlosson was not to be thought of.
But he was reckoning without Hazel herself. He was calculating withall a man's--a young man's--assurance that this girl would regard hisopinions in the light he regarded them himself.
Hazel sat herself upon the edge of his desk, and flicked the rawhidequirt against the leg of her top boot. Her prairie hat was thrust backfrom her forehead, and her pretty tanned face was turned in a smilinginquiry upon Gordon.
"What is it?" she asked, with that new alertness the man had come toregard as a part of her nature, second only to her delightfulcamaraderie.
He smiled back into her merry eyes.
"I'm wondering why two men bent on a joint purpose can't see the samething in the same light."
"Which means you and my daddy have already started an argument whichI'll have to settle."
Gordon laughed.
"Guess you'll settle it, though--there's no need."
"Why not? If you can't agree?"
"We do agree."
"Then where's the argument?"
"There isn't one."
Hazel began to laugh.
"Why did you say there was?"
"I didn't. It was you who said that."
Hazel's smile had died away.
"It's Slosson, of course," she said decidedly. And Gordon began towish she were not so clearsighted, nor so direct in her challenges.
"Oh, he's a constant thorn," he said evasively.
"Has he been here to-day?"
Gordon nodded.
"And the result?"
"Your father is--obdurate. Says he won't submit to blackmail."
"Has Slosson abated his terms?"
"I don't think so."
Hazel rose quickly from her seat on the desk. She walked slowly acrossthe room and propped herself in the doorway, in precisely the sameposition as her father had occupied. Gordon's eyes watched her everymovement. He knew she was considering deeply, and intuition warned himthat the result of her consideration might easily conflict with thatwhich he had in his mind. But he was not prepared for the announcementwhich came a moment later.
She came back to the desk quickly, and took up her old place on it.Her pretty lips were firmly set, and she gazed soberly andunflinchingly down into Gordon's apprehensive blue eyes.
"I shall have to deal with David Slosson," she said quietly. Then,with a light, expressive shrug: "It won't be pleasant--not by quite alot. But--it's got to be done, and done quickly. Father won't giveway, so--he must."
But, in a moment, Gordon's protest came with all the enthusiasm of hisimpulsive nature. To think of this beautiful child having to defileherself by cajoling a creature like this Slosson moved him to a pitchof distraction. Whatever else he did not know, he knew the meaning ofexpression when men gaze at women. And he had not forgotten his firstmorning in Snake's Fall.
"Miss Mallinsbee," he cried, his big body leaning forward in hisearnestness, and all his feelings displayed in his ingenuous face, "I'drather let this thing go plumb smash than that you should be broughtinto contact with that filthy scum again. Say, you're too young, andgood, to understand such creatures. I know----"
Hazel was smiling whimsically down into his anxious eyes.
"And you're so old and wise you can see plumb through him," she cried.Then with an exact reproduction of his manner, she leaned forward sothat their faces were within a foot of each other. "You two Solomonscan't deal with him worth two cents. My daddy's too obstinate, andyou--are too prejudiced. He's got to be dealt with, and I'm going todo it. In a case like this a girl's wiser than any two men."
"That's--just how your father argued," cried Gordon, in exasperation.And the next moment he could have bitten off his tongue.
Hazel clapped her hands.
"So that was the argument," she cried delightedly. "My daddy in hiswisdom thought of me, and you--you being just a big, big chivalrous boywith notions, couldn't see the same way."
Then she sat up, and her eyes grew very serious. That which lay behindthem was completely hidden from her companion, as she intended it to be.
Had it been possible for him to have read her approval of himself inher attitude, he now made it beyond question by the sudden wave of heatwhich swept through his heart.
"I tell you, you've no right to sacrifice yourself," he cried hotly."Nor has your father----"
"No right? Sacrifice?" Hazel's eyes opened wide, and in theirbeautiful depths a sparkle of resentment shone. "Who says that?" shedemanded. Then in a moment her merry thought banished the clouds ofher displeasure. She began to tease. "Why shouldn't I do this? Say,you've roused my curiosity. What's the danger? I--I just love danger.What is the danger I'm running?"
But Gordon's sense of humor was unequal to her teasing on such asubject. He remained sulkily silent.
"I'm waiting," Hazel urged slyly.
Gordon cleared his throat. He glanced up at her a little helplessly.Their eyes met, and somehow he caught the infection of her lurkingsmile.
He was forced to laugh in spite of himself.
"If--if you don't know, it's
not for me to say," he cried at last, witha shrug. "But I tell you, right here, if you were my sister youwouldn't go near Slosson, if I had to--to chain you up."
"But I'm not your sister," retorted Hazel, with her dazzling smile."And, if I were, I shouldn't be a sister of yours if I didn't." Thenshe laughed at herself. "Say, isn't that real bright?" Then with agreat pretense at severity she flourished an admonitory finger at him."Gordon Van Henslaer," she said solemnly, "you're just as obstinate asmy daddy, but you haven't got his wisdom." Her pretense passed and shebecame suddenly very earnest. "This thing is just all the world to mydaddy," she said, "and I can help him. Wouldn't you help him if youhad such a dear, quaint old daddy as I have? I'm sure you would. Whatdoes it matter to me what I may have to put up with if I can help himout? True, it doesn't matter a thing. Insults? Why, I'll just dealwith them as they come along." Then her mood lightened. "Say, we'rejust two real good friends, Mr. Van Henslaer, aren't we? Friends.It's got a bully sound. That's just how my daddy and I've been eversince my poor momma died years and years ago. Heigho!" she sighed."And now I've got another friend, and that's you. Say, we're alwaysgoing to be friends, too, because you're going to understand thatthis--this thing is business, and business isn't play. My daddy wantsto make good, and I'm going to do all I know. And," she added slyly,"that's quite a lot. Do you know, in this thing I'm dead honest whenI'm dealing with honest folk, and I'm a 'sharp' when I'm dealing with'sharps'? By that I just mean I'm not scared of a thing. Certainly ofnothing Mr. David Slosson can do. My daddy can trust me, and he'sknown me all my life. You've only known me a week, but you can trustme too. I'm out to help things along, so just let's forget this--thistalk."
Gordon's admiration for the girl was so obvious that no words of hiswere necessary to illuminate it, but he shook his head seriously as shefinished speaking.
"I just can't help it, Miss Mallinsbee," he said, a little desperately."If anything happened to you I'd never forgive myself. What do youmean to do?"
Hazel smiled at his manner. Her smile was confident, but it was alsoan expression of her regard for him. She had no intention of modifyingher decision, but she liked him for his dogged protest.
"You just leave that to me," she cried buoyantly. "I haven't an ideain my silly head--yet. All I can say is, David Slosson is to beencouraged. He's to be flattered. I'm going to make him smile realprettily with that mealy face of his. Guess I'll have to take him outrides--but I'll promise you it won't be my fault if he don't break hiswicked neck."
Gordon was forced to join in the girl's infectious laugh, but it waswithout enjoyment. To think of this man riding at Hazel's side,basking in her smiles, enjoying her company just when and where hepleased. The thought was maddening. And it set his fingers tinglingand itching to possess themselves of his throat and squeeze the lifeout of him.
"And how long's this to go on for?" he asked sulkily, in spite of hislaugh.
Hazel's eyes opened wide.
"Why--until he weakens, and we get things fixed."
"And if he beats your game?"
"He'll hate himself first, and then we'll have to reorganize our plans."
"Then I guess I'll get busy on the other plans."
"I shall be beaten?"
Gordon glanced away towards the window. His eyes had become reflective.
"It's the only thing I can see," he said slowly. "He'll finish byinsulting you. I know his kind. He'll insult you, sure. And I--well,I shall just as surely pretty near kill him. And then we'll needother--plans."